Chicken Soup For The Chicken Hawk

These guys put the chicken in chicken hawk. Enjoy your journey into the healing powers of delusional thinking.

Here’s a small sampling from the very tasty chicken hawk menu:

Daniel Pipes

Claim to fame:

Founder of the Middle East Forum

Former board member of the US Institute of Peace (recess appointment by President Bush)

Muslim basher and all around xenophobe

Japanese internment supporter

Palestinian hater

Iraq War champion

Notable Quotes:

"Mohammed Atta, one of the hijackers, met with an Iraqi intelligence agent in Prague. Two of his co-conspirators met with Iraqi intelligence officers in the United Arab Emirates. Bin Laden aides met with officials in Baghdad. Further, Saddam may be behind the recent military-grade anthrax attacks, suggested by the presence of bentonite, a substance only Iraq uses for this purpose." -"On to Baghdad?: Yes – The Risks Are Overrated" in the New York Post, 12/3/2001

"Saddam Hussein represents the single greatest danger to the United States, not to speak of the rest of the world. Today, with Americans mobilized, is exactly the right moment to dispatch him." – New York Post, 13/3/2001

"A famous American victory in Iraq and the successful rehabilitation of that country will bring liberals out of the woodwork and generally move the region toward democracy. (Saudi leaders are already leaking their plans to establish electing assemblies, something totally unprecedented in their kingdom.)" –New York Post, 2/11/2003

"The United States cannot pass up a unique chance to remake the world’s most politically fevered region. Sure, the effort might fail, but not even to try would be a missed opportunity." – New York Post, 2/11/2003

"The ingratitude of the Iraqis for the extraordinary favor we gave them — to release them from the bondage of Saddam Hussein’s tyranny. They have rapidly interpreted it as something they did and that we were incidental to it. They’ve more or less written us out of the picture. " –Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 4/1/2006

Richard Perle

Claim to fame:

Assistant Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagan

Chairman of Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee under President Bush

"Prince of Darkness"

Member of the Project for a New American Century

Signer of 1998 Letter to President Clinton advocating overthrow of Saddam Hussein

Alleged to have behaved unethically for financial gain

Iraq War champion

Notable Quotes:

"Because the thing that many of us have speculated about is happening. There is that interchange. It is likely that chemical weapons, biological weapons in the possession of the Iraqis derived during the cold war from the Soviet Union are now being disseminated to terrorists." –PBS interview, 7/11/2002

"Saddam is in the terrorists business. The easiest thing for intelligence organizations to do is unconsciously slip into a world-view that becomes a filter that causes you either not to look, or even when you see, to ignore and fail to register information inconsistent with that world-view. And it has been the view of the intelligence establishment for a long time now that Saddam, who is secular and not a religious fanatic like Osama bin Laden, behaves in a manner different from the terrorists.

So they’re not looking. Even when there’s evidence; they tend to discount the evidence. I think they’re simply wrong about this." –PBS interview, 7/11/2002

I noted there were widespread media reports saying an attack would require up to 250,000 troops. These soldiers could not all be air-dropped into Iraq. They would have to come from somewhere, such as Saudi Arabia. And a military action of this size would need extensive logistical support nearby.

Forget the 250,000 figure, Perle said: "The Army guys don’t know anything. They said we needed 500,000 troops in 1991 [for the Gulf War]. Did we need that many to win? No."

"The problems in Iraq are ahead of us, but we’re doing better than people think. And a year from now, I’ll be very surprised if there is not some grand square in Baghdad that is named after President Bush. There is no doubt that, with the exception of a very small number of people close to a vicious regime, the people of Iraq have been liberated and they understand that they’ve been liberated. And it is getting easier every day for Iraqis to express that sense of liberation." –AEI Luncheon 9/23/2003

Ken Adelman

Claim to fame:

Assistant to Donald Rumsfeld from 1975 to 1977

Arms Control Director under Ronald Reagan

Member of the Project for a New American Century

Ken "cakewalk" Adelman

Iraq War champion

Notable Quotes:

"I believe demolishing Hussein’s military power and liberating Iraq would be a cakewalk. Let me give simple, responsible reasons: (1) It was a cakewalk last time; (2) they’ve become much weaker; (3) we’ve become much stronger; and (4) now we’re playing for keeps. " – Washington Post, 2/13/2002

"Hussein constitutes the number one threat against American security and civilization. Unlike Osama bin Laden, he has billions of dollars in government funds, scores of government research labs working feverishly on weapons of mass destruction — and just as deep a hatred of America and civilized free societies. " – Washington Post, 2/13/2002

"We urge you to seize that opportunity, and to enunciate a new strategy that would secure the interests of the U.S. and our friends and allies around the world.That strategy should aim, above all, at the removal of Saddam Hussein’s regime from power.We stand ready to offer our full support in this difficult but necessary endeavor." –PNAC letter to President Clinton, 1/26/1998

"I have no doubt we’re going to find big stores of weapons of mass destruction". These weapons are likeliest to be found near Tikrit and Baghdad, "because they’re the most protected places with the best troops." – Washington Post, 3/23/2003

Zalmay Khalilzad

Claim to fame:

US Ambassador to Iraq

Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan

King maker of Iraq and Afghanistan

Member of the Project for a New American Century

Signer of 1998 Letter to President Clinton advocating overthrow of Saddam Hussein

Initially supported the Taliban in Afghanistan as a force for stability

Negotiated with the Taliban on behalf of Unocol to for a proposed natural gas pipeline through Afghanistan

Signer of 1998 Letter to President Clinton advocating overthrow of Saddam Hussein

Frank "Connect the Dots" Gaffney

Iraq War champion

Notable Quotes:

"Under present wartime circumstances, though, the United States has the ability — and, indeed, an urgent responsibility — to take more comprehensive action against Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya. Unless the two networks adjust their behavior so as no longer to act as the propaganda arm of our enemies, they should be taken off the air, one way or another." – Fox News, 9/29/2003

"The [9/11 Commission] staff’s statement concerning Iraq and Al Qaeda (search) is internally inconsistent; it ignores key facts; it selectively addresses others; and it effectively condemns as incredible the considerable amount of evidence that suggests Saddam Hussein and Usama bin Laden did indeed have a collaborative relationship – as President Bush and Vice President Cheney have insisted." –Fox News, 6/20/2004

"I was thinking actually about effecting regime change through the use of military force. There are other ways to effect regime change as well. The problem with not replicating the Iraqi (Israeli?) Osirak attack, which also had a desired effect on Iraq, is it is no longer possible, given the lessons the Iranians learned about concealing and dispersing their nuclear weapons program. I think to do that very discriminate, precise military strike, you’re gonna have to change the regime, and I think the good news here, John, if there is any, is that I believe the Iranian people want that every bit as much as we do, if not more."-John Gibson interview, 11/24/2004, already advocating attacking Iran in 2004

"The connections between the Nazis and the Islamofascists are rooted in more than shared ambitions of world domination and violent methods."…"Consequently, as a practical matter, we have no choice but to fight the Islamofascists, both abroad and at home. Surrender, whether in Iraq or elsewhere, is not an option." –Renew America 3/20/2006

Elliott Abrams

Claim to fame:

Deputy National Security Advisor to President Bush

Special Assistant to the President under President Bush

Pled guilty to two counts of unlawfully withholding information from Congress during Iran-Contra

Member of the Project for a New American Century

Signer of 1998 Letter to President Clinton advocating overthrow of Saddam Hussein

Iraq War champion

Notable Quotes: Does damage mostly with actions.

So, what do you do with a chicken hawk after the thrill is gone? Apparently you can now race chicken hawks.

5 Responses to Chicken Soup For The Chicken Hawk

Well, one man’s delusional thinking is another’s brillance obviously. In either case, I’m not sure that someone who thinks Al Gore is a viable darkhorse in the next election is overly endowed with critical thinking skills or have all their oars in the water for that matter. Good post, though!

M said:I’m not sure that someone who thinks Al Gore is a viable darkhorse in the next election is overly endowed with critical thinking skills or have all their oars in the water for that matter

Hmm, I make a comment in response to a reader that I think Al Gore is positioning for 2008, and you think its far fetched. Follow the news and you will come to the same conclusion. My observation was not that he would get the nomination, it was that him being in the primaries would get Democrats energized in the process early. And I think that is a valid observation.

Contrast that with wildly optimistic talk of roses in the streets and a complete lack of understanding of facts that the above cited chicken hawks have engaged in. You suggest that that is brilliance – and you are entitled to that. But, I respectfully submit to you that the facts are not on your or their side.

Unless of course you would like to “fix” the facts around your conclusion.

M, I do think he’s viable. And I do think he put himself in a better position by not running in 2004. He would have stood no chance then.

However, read the back and forth between me and the reader in the comments. It might be instructive. I think he has an outside shot, thats what darkhorse means:

A dark horse, in racing or politics, a horse or a candidate whose chances of success are not known, and whose capabilities have not been made the subject of general comment or of wagers. (from http://dict.die.net/a%20dark%20horse/)

Just because you dont agree with me on this minor point does not make this an earth shattering issue. You are entitled to think otherwise. But the fact that you seems to think this is some major issue is a bit amusing.

I am not predicting anything as earth-shattering as the death of thousands and the upheaval of a region. I was stating my opinion to a reader on what the likely Democratic candidates for ’08 might be (not exactly something that has any real world implications).

If one cant tell the difference between what is and is not important, one needs to cut back on the Kool-Aid. However, its typical of the far right and the neo-cons in particular. They cannot distinguish between issues large and small. They gloam onto any scrap that might save them from the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. To amuse yourself, read Frank Gaffney’s many comments and declarations that WMD has been found in Iraq and the media is just ignoring it. Its the kind of twisted logic and blind interpretation that lead us into this war in the first place. Its downright funny reading these guys, except its not because our leaders are actually listening to this dribble.

Furthermore, I invite you to read the many posts on this website and take an opposing point of view. I welcome the debate on serious ideas and I appreciate you reading my posts. You can if you choose also continue this topic of conversation we are having, thats what this comment section is here for. I will be happy to respond in the best way I can.

I also think that is a big problem in our leadership right now. The inability to confront other points of views and find value in them. By contrast, you will find that on this website, you are more then welcome, even encouraged, to post contrary points of view.